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Shutterstock establishes office in Amsterdam

Shutterstock, a US-based provider of commercial imagery and music, has established an office in Amsterdam. In doing so, they join many other American tech firms, such as Google, Tesla, BitPay and Twitter.

5 March 2015

Expanding operations in Amsterdam

In an interview with Dutch business newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad (website in Dutch), Shutterstock’s founder Jon Oringer explains that the company is currently expanding their Dutch operations. By the end of 2015, Shutterstock’s Amsterdam office is expected to employ up to 15 people. There are also discussions taking place about relocating Shutterstock’s European Headquarters from Berlin to Amsterdam, but no definite decision has been taken yet.

Favourable business environment

If Shutterstock opts to relocate their European headquarters to Amsterdam, the company would join a league of other successful American tech companies that have already established their European headquarters here. Recently, American medical technology company Stryker established their European headquarters in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area. Like the many other American firms here, Stryker aims to increase market share from this region.

The friendly Dutch fiscal climate is also often cited as an important reason for international companies to set up their headquarters here. However, Shutterstock also praises the Netherlands' welcoming attitude towards expats. Many highly skilled migrants qualify for a 30% personal tax income advantage. And this is just one of the competitive fiscal incentives for international employers operating in the Netherlands.